Miller celebrates return to MotoGP™ podium

Australia’s Jack Miller has celebrated his return to the MotoGP™ podium, despite a mistake in the dying stages of an action-packed race at the Austrian GP.

Starting from second on the grid, Miller showed promising signs before a dramatic collision between Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco resulted in a red flag.

Miller took the lead from the restart but struggled for grip on soft tyres towards the race of the race and was passed by eventual winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) and Joan Mir (Suzuki).

Mir clinched second place after pouncing when Miller made an error on the penultimate corner of the last lap at the Red Bull Ring.

“I was having fun out there, but I made a small error on the last lap,” Miller said.

“I thought Joan was closer than he was, and I tried to close the line and then she started bouncing on the front.”

For Miller, it was his first appearance on the MotoGP™ rostrum since taking third place at the season-ending Valencia GP last year.

“The bike was very fast and we were able to reach the result we were waiting for and deserved,” Miller added. “I want to thank the team.”

Dovizioso’s win kept Ducati’s unbeaten streak alive in Austria, while for Mir it was his maiden MotoGP™ podium.

Miller returns to racing next weekend at the Styrian GP on 21-23 August, the second of two consecutive rounds at the Red Bull Ring.